Finnish authorities on Thursday launched an inspection of the tanker "Eagle S.", which is suspected of having damaged an electrical cable and several data cables in the Baltic Sea over Christmas. The Finnish Transport and Communications Agency reported this, according to the Finnish newspaper Hufvudstadsbladet. The inspection is to determine whether the ship meets international safety requirements and has valid certificates. Finnish police are already conducting a police investigation on the ship.
The police investigation is directly related to the cable breaks in the Baltic Sea, while the investigation launched on Thursday is routine and focuses on the ship itself and its condition. The investigation may take several days, the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency said in a press release. The inspection is being carried out as part of an international maritime surveillance system. The surveillance requires individual countries to inspect foreign ships that call at their ports.
"Eagle S." is anchored off the Finnish city of Porvoo in the Gulf of Finland. The ship sailed from St. Petersburg in Russia and continued into the Baltic Sea on the night of December 25. Later that day, it was discovered that damage had been caused to the Estlink 2 power cable, which runs in the Baltic Sea between Finland and Estonia. Several data cables in the Baltic Sea had also been damaged. Finnish police are investigating the incidents as sabotage.
Finnish customs authorities also suspect that the "Eagle S." is violating international sanctions against Russia. Customs authorities believe that the ship, which sails under the Cook Islands flag, is part of Russia's so-called shadow fleet.
The ships in the shadow fleet are believed to be circumventing international sanctions against Russia by sailing with Russian goods without sailing under the Russian flag. "Eagle S." is loaded with 35,000 tons of gasoline, writes Hufvudstadsbladet.
Shortly before "Eagle S." came into the spotlight of the Finnish authorities, several countries around the Baltic Sea focused on the Chinese ship "Yi Peng 3".
This ship was anchored in the Kattegat for several weeks and is suspected of having caused the breakage of several cables in the Baltic Sea in November. After the latest cases of cable breakages, the defense alliance NATO has announced that it will increase its military presence in the Baltic Sea area.
jel /ritzau/
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